| Casseroles are a great way to make a hearty, | | | | Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Layer noodles on the |
| inexpensive meal for your family. My favorite | | | | bottom of a large baking pan or casserole dish. In a |
| ingredient to use in them is ground beef. There are | | | | medium bowl, combine cream cheese and sour |
| countless recipes you can come up with using ground | | | | cream. Cover noodles with cheese mixture. Pour |
| beef in your casserole dishes. If you have it in your | | | | meat mixture on top of cheese and noodles. Sprinkle |
| home, odds are you can put together a delicious | | | | shredded cheddar cheese on top. Bake, uncovered, |
| meal with ingredients already in your pantry. It's also | | | | for 40-45 minutes. |
| a great way to combine all four food groups into one | | | | Southwest Pasta Bake |
| dish. Here are a couple quick and easy ground beef | | | | What you need: |
| casserole recipes that your whole family can enjoy. | | | | 8 oz corkscrew pasta, cooked and drained |
| Ground Beef Casserole | | | | 1 lb lean ground beef, browned and drained |
| What you need: | | | | 3/4 c prepared medium picante sauce or salsa |
| 2 lbs lean ground beef | | | | 1 c sharp cheddar cheese, shredded |
| 1 medium onion, chopped | | | | 1 egg |
| 1 garlic clove, chopped | | | | 1/4 t ground cumin |
| 8 oz macaroni noodles, cooked and drained | | | | 1/4 t black pepper |
| 2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce | | | | 16 oz cottage cheese |
| 8 oz sour cream | | | | 10 oz package frozen corn, thawed and drained |
| 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened | | | | What you do: |
| 3/4 c cheddar cheese, shredded | | | | In a large bowl, combine beef, salsa and corn. In a |
| 1 t salt | | | | small bowl, combine egg, cottage cheese, pepper and |
| 1/4 t black pepper | | | | cumin. Place half of beef mixture in bottom of 11/2 |
| What you do: | | | | to 2 quart casserole dish. Add pasta on top of beef. |
| In a large skillet, add beef, garlic, salt and pepper and | | | | Add cottage cheese mixture on top of pasta. Top |
| cook until meat is browned. Drain grease from pan, | | | | off with remaining beef mixture. Add cheese to top |
| add tomato sauce and onion and mix well. Simmer | | | | of casserole. In a 350 degree preheated oven, bake |
| uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. | | | | casserole for 30 to 40 minutes, or until heated |
| Remove from heat. | | | | through. |